Academy’s Genius Mage

Ian received a message that a guest was waiting for him at the salon near the academy’s main gate, so he headed there immediately.

His day’s schedule had not yet completely finished, so he didn’t have much time to spare. Thus, he hurried his steps.

‘Who could it be?’

The message did not specify the identity of the guest.

There were only two possibilities:
Either it was Woodward from the Bahamut Trading Company, or Felix from the Hamel Trading Company.

It was the location that allowed him to narrow it down to these two people.

The message had mentioned that the guest was waiting in the same private room where he had met Woodward and Felix before. Therefore, it had to be one of them.

‘Neither scenario seems particularly pleasant.’

He was supposed to meet Woodward the next day. If Woodward had come already, it indicated something urgent was happening.

The worst-case scenario he wanted to avoid was the collapse of the contract itself.

If the deal with the Bahamut Trading Company fell through, it would pose considerable difficulties.

The Bahamut Trading Company was his most important card for putting pressure on Felix and the Hamel Trading Company.

Thus, he hadn’t planned on asking for too many harsh conditions in their negotiations.

He had intended to accept the terms Woodward had previously proposed.

‘Then again, it’s unlikely the Hamel Trading Company pressured Bahamut. Could they have negotiated in secret?’

He couldn’t be sure.

Internal trades among the trading companies were difficult to uncover unless one had access to the kingdom’s intelligence agency.

Meanwhile, even Felix’s visit wasn’t positive.

Felix would bring a message from the head of the company, which would undoubtedly be a waste of time.

‘If I had to choose, it would be better if Felix was the one waiting for me.’

With his thoughts settled, Ian entered the private room.

“Good day.”

Waiting for him was Woodward, the deputy manager of the Bahamut Trading Company.

Woodward stood up and bowed politely.

“Hello, Mr. Woodward. I was curious about who might be waiting for me, but I didn’t expect it would be you. Did I perhaps remember our meeting date incorrectly?”

“No, our appointment is indeed scheduled for tomorrow.”

Simultaneously, the smile vanished from Woodward’s face.

Ian wondered about the significance of this expression.

“I came because there is something urgent I wish to discuss with you. I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced you while you are busy.”

“Not at all. Please, have a seat.”

The tea had already been prepared.

Woodward had remembered the name of the tea Ian had ordered previously and had arranged for it to be ready for him.

“I have a class to attend soon, so could we keep the conversation brief?”

“Have you recently met with anyone from the Hamel Trading Company?”

“I have.”

It didn’t seem like Woodward had rushed to the academy just because he was upset about Ian’s contact with a rival company.

Woodward fiddled with his interlocked fingers.

He appeared anxious.

At the same time, he seemed worried.

“Were you concerned I might make a deal with the Hamel Trading Company?”

“That’s not it. Although, from a business standpoint, I’m quite keen on not losing you, Ian. It’s just that this time, well…”

“It seems something has happened.”

“Yes.”

In a serious tone, Woodward conveyed to Ian the information he had learned.

“Is that true?”

Ian was astonished.

With a troubled expression, Woodward nodded.

“It’s difficult to disclose the source, but it’s from a credible informant. So, you can consider it to be true.”

“Wow, this is a bit shocking.”

Although Ian hadn’t entirely ruled out the possibility, hearing this news left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The information Woodward shared was that the elite assassination squad of the Hamel Trading Company had begun to target Ian.

“It seems they’ve made an extreme choice, perhaps because they received rights related to a patent, but negotiations were not going well. The Hamel Trading Company is truly merciless in such matters.”

Woodward was genuinely enraged.

Watching his demeanor, Ian asked, “It seems you knew the reason I needed urgent funds?”

Otherwise, there was no reason for him to be so angry.

The trading company was not accumulating wealth through the right means but instead was trying to take a person’s life for some absurd reason.

“Well… Yes, I did have some idea. I knew about your debt towards the Hamel Trading Company.”

“When we met before, if you asked about it ,I could have told me then.”

“I didn’t want it to seem like I was taking advantage of your shortcomings. If it upset you, I apologize again.”

“No, not at all. I appreciate you telling me. I will make preparations.”

Did Woodward really come all this way just to deliver such news?

Ian felt there might be something lacking.

“And while this might sound like an after-the-fact report, we’ve stationed mercenaries of our company’s first rank around the Oracle Family estate.”

Ian was both surprised and grateful for this unexpected consideration.

“I didn’t expect you to go to such lengths.”

“They probably won’t target the estate, but one never knows, right? I wanted to help you focus more comfortably on your work.”

“Let’s make a contract.”

With such a straightforward statement, delaying any further seemed pointless.

Woodward was startled by the remark and waved his hands.

“No! I didn’t do this hoping for a contract. You should think it over more calmly…”

“The Bahamut Trading Company was always my preferred choice. Since our feelings are aligned, isn’t it unnecessary to beat around the bush?”

“Thank you very much.”

Woodward bowed politely.

“But I didn’t bring a contract with me. How about I formally visit next time and we finalize it then?”

He didn’t bring a contract.

Ian realized that Woodward was quite shrewd.

Producing a contract here might have led to misunderstandings about sincerity.

He had managed to avoid that scenario while still endearing himself to the counterpart.

“Very well. Next time, I will visit the trading company.”

“Yes. I will have the necessary documents ready.”

“Please do.”

Ian left the salon with a light heart.

If Woodward had visited yesterday afternoon, he might have taken it more seriously.

But now, it was different.

‘With the cat and increasing mana, I’m in a strong position.’

Ian felt more confident than ever and decided to make good use of this opportunity.

‘They’re trying to provide evidence for me, so it would be odd not to appreciate their efforts, right?’

Dusting off the cloak, Ian headed towards the lecture hall.

* * *

After all the lectures concluded, Ian immediately went to Professor Frost’s laboratory.

Just then, Professor Frost was setting up a Mana Meter for Ian.

“Professor, I’m here.”

“Come on in.”

Ian did not come alone.

The materialized cat accompanied him.

“Meow,” the cat mewed adorably as it approached Professor Frost, rubbing its head against him.

“So, this is the one.”

“Yes.”

“But it feels more like a mystical creature than a spirit.”

“It’s a spirit with a somewhat ambiguous attribute. I discussed it with Professor Elena.”

Ian recounted everything that had transpired in Professor Elena’s laboratory to Professor Frost.

Professor Frost was someone akin to Ian’s guardian. At least when it came to matters concerning magic, Ian intended to discuss everything with him.

Jessica, the dean, was no different in this regard.

Professor Frost, resting his chin on his hand, nodded.

“Indeed, it’s a fascinating story. An unnamed spirit, no less.”

“Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, I’m planning to gradually prove it. If the opportunity arises, I might even write a thesis on it.”

“I’m quite envious of you! It’s like thesis themes are pouring out from the heavens for you.”

As Professor Frost laughed, Ian chuckled along.

Academy professors were required to publish a certain number of theses each year to maintain their positions.

No matter how much a mage cherished research and experiments, meeting that number was a burdensome task.

“By the way, it’s surprising that Professor Elena changed her mind and said you shouldn’t join the Major in Spirit Magic.”

“Indeed. I thought she would urge me to come even more since I’ve contracted with a spirit.”

“Becoming an All Master isn’t a bad thing. It’s a realm no one has reached for hundreds of years.”

“It’s not a title one can mention so lightly.”

“But it might be possible for you.”

Only then did Ian realize that Professor Frost wasn’t joking.

“Even if that were the case, can’t I just choose one as my specialized major?”

“Policies are made by people. If you show a talent that surpasses the policies established over centuries, wouldn’t the academy’s board propose a new alternative?”

The title ‘All Master’ wasn’t merely a concept divided for administrative convenience.

It’s a prestigious title given to someone who has mastered all forms of magic, not simply bestowed after completing all specialized majors.

Nevertheless, Professor Frost’s suggestion piqued Ian’s interest.

‘If one were granted the qualifications to Master all majors…’

It would create an immense ripple effect.

The Department of Magic had a total of four majors, and mastering all would mean studying more than four times the amount of content, simply from a basic calculation.

Still, Ian felt an attraction toward the new challenge rather than being deterred by its difficulty.

“That’s enough of the idle talk; let’s get started. There’s much to discuss based on the results.”

Professor Frost gestured toward the table.

A Mana Meter, identical to the one Ian had seen in the auditorium at the beginning of his admission, awaited Ian’s mana.

“For accurate measurement, I brought over the same device used then. If Dean Jessica learns of this, she will be furious, so let’s keep it between us.”

“Understood.”

The real discussion wasn’t about the contract with the spirit.

The focus needed to be on why the second circle had formed in the dantian instead of the heart.

Depending on the circumstances, they might need Jessica’s opinion.

It was an unusual phenomenon that hadn’t been reported recently.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Ian stood in front of the device and placed his hand on the crystal orb.

His heart pounded.

However, tension and greed made accurate measurement difficult.

Ian took a deep breath to calm himself.

He closed his eyes and channeled mana from his circle.

Woooong—

The circle in his heart rotated, exuding magical energy.

Zzzing—

Simultaneously, mana flowed from the circle in the dantian.

Even though the two circles were far apart, they moved in perfect synchronization as if they were one.

‘It’s fascinating. What principle connects them?’

Ian forced himself to defer the thought.

Now was the time to focus on mana operation.

As the mana produced by the two distant circles connected into one, purer mana coursed powerfully through his veins.

Swooooosh!

The mana, swirling like a storm, filled the crystal orb.

Flash!

A radiant light, unlike anything he had seen before, burst forth.